Horse carriages click down cobblestone streets surrounded by historic homes and mansions. Tourists flock to sites like The Battery and White Point Garden.
The historic Charlestowne neighborhood south of Broad Street in downtown Charleston is a beacon for visitors. Its picturesque alleys and gardens have been dubbed "Southern charm at its best" and critical to the city’s standing as one of the best places in the world to visit.
Residents living on the tip of Charleston's peninsula have always had a complicated relationship with the flocks of visitors and the crime that has sometimes come with them. In the last year, an uptick in minor crimes has increased that tension.
Complicating matters in the past few months, those streets have also filled with hundreds of protesters, signs in hand and speakers on hips, chanting calls for criminal justice reform. On multiple Sundays, defenders of Confederate monuments and protesters have clashed at White Point Garden.
Things escalated further on July 17 when the College of Charleston provost's husband was shot and killed a few streets north of the neighborhood. Following that shooting, the Charleston Police Department, Charleston County Sheriff's Office and State Law Enforcement Division stepped up patrols across the city starting Thursday night to provide a greater show of force in the city and to tamp down crime.
Neighbors have now hired an unarmed security guard to patrol the neighborhood, though Charlestowne Neighborhood Association President Wiley Becker said the timing of the hire is an unfortunate coincidence. Becker said the neighborhood has been talking about hiring security for the past year.
"The increase in minor crimes was the primary driver behind it," he said, including vehicle break-ins and car thefts. "The timing is just coincidental."
The neighborhood hired Securitas, a national security firm that offers a mix of commercial and residential services, for a three-month trial. Leaders will meet after the trial before voting to continue.
The Charleston Police Department has 388 sworn officers and 68 vacancies. Thirty-one officers of varying ranks are assigned to the area south of Calhoun Street. Councilman Mike Seekings shared that information Thursday night with nearly 150 constituents who have been living through a time of heightened protests and, now, a resurgence of tourists.Â
Meagan and Katie Partridge, who are visiting from North Carolina, walk down Meeting Street in the South of Broad neighborhood in Charleston on Thursday, July 23, 2020. Residents have hired an unarmed security guard to patrol the neighborhood. Lauren Petracca/Staff
From July 13 to July 19, crime south of Calhoun Street included a homicide, two aggravated assaults and two robberies.Â
Year over year, the city of Charleston investigated 45 more violent crimes in 2019 compared to 2018. For nonviolent crimes, there were 261 more reported, including 172 more motor vehicle thefts and 107 more thefts from motor vehicles.Â
As of July 19, the city has had 240 violent crimes, including 165 aggravated assaults and seven homicides. There were reports of 994 nonviolent crimes, including 220 motor vehicle thefts and 350 thefts from motor vehicles, according to crime data updated and maintained by the Police Department.Â
Becker said neighborhood association leaders interviewed several firms and consulted with the Police Department, as well. The decision to have a security company shouldn't be seen as a lack of faith in the police, he said.Â
"We involved police all the way to Chief Reynolds in our diligence," Becker said. "Their view was 'the more the merrier.' We worked alongside them to determine what would be helpful to them."
Charleston Police Capt. Dustin Thompson said the neighborhood's decision to hire security is the same as a volunteer-run neighborhood watch, common in other areas of the city. Last year, when officers were invited to one of the association's meetings, Thompson said residents talked about recent car break-ins and stolen cars south of Broad Street.Â
"They asked about neighborhood watch and talked a lot about neighborhood watch and what it encompasses," Thompson said. "We told them it includes having block captains, checking in on neighbors."
A lock holds a gate closed in the South of Broad neighborhood in Charleston on Thursday, July 23, 2020. Lauren Petracca/Staff
Thompson said the neighbors asked about hiring off-duty officers, too, which costs $30 an hour with a four-hour minimum.Â
"It's just an extra eye out for the community, much like a block captain," Thompson said. "On the East Side they have block captains, about six residents down there, and they regularly communicate with the Police Department at neighborhood association meetings. They make sure issues are followed up on. I'm envisioning this service in the same capacity: If they see a street light out or suspicious activity, they'll call the Police Department."
Thompson said the security guard does not have the power to detain or arrest someone.Â
"They are not licensed to engage somebody," Thompson said.Â
Thompson said some security companies will go through the State Law Enforcement Division to arm their personnel, but even then, those employees do not have the authority to arrest. Such a security guard would have the same responsibilities as a citizen with a concealed carry permit.
Earlier this month, a security guard began driving different routes around the neighborhood late at night. The marked car has a spotlight affixed to it. Patrols will be sporadic, Becker said, with three patrols a night in July, two patrols a night in August and once a night in September.Â
"They don't exit the vehicle, they are unarmed," Becker said. "If they see anything suspicious, they'll call police."
Becker said it is too early to tell how the security detail is going and wants to see the statistics after three months.Â
A horse carriage takes tourists through the South of Broad neighborhood in Charleston on Thursday, July 23, 2020. Lauren Petracca/Staff
"Of course, it's not an apples-to-apples comparison, given the totally different environment this year compared to last year," Becker said.Â
Becker said it hasn't been comfortable living downtown in recent months with the "shocking and frightening" shooting on July 17, the resurgence of tourism and rise of coronavirus cases.Â
Becker declined to share how much the association paid for the three-month security trial. An email provided to The Post and Courier showed the pricing as $20 for a 30-minute vehicle patrol. If the neighborhood association decides to have a detail for the next year, association dues would increase by $25 next year, the email shows.Â
